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Spitfire back to Triumph ownership

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T

Triumph Swede

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Greetings to all. I am a former Triumph owner and it looks like soon to be return owner.

I have access to a 1969 Mk III garage find, restored 20ish years ago, stored for the last 15ish years. Sweden uses salt and chemicals on the roads in the winter, and the air can be semi humid year round. I would like to know from other spitfire owners, where to look for rust and corrosion before I invest in this little beastie. I am hoping to work out a rolling restoration with plenty of help from the folks on this site.

Any advice on red flags to look for would be greatly appreciated.

Tack sĂĄ mycket!
 
Your posting suggests you are looking at a Spitfire. Based on my experiences only I suggest that while searching for rust you look at...
The driver and passenger floors
The bottom of the battery box
The sills (front to back)
The "dog leg" at the front of each rear wheel arch
The rear panel where it joins the boot floor
and
The bottom of the doors.

Also check the seams on the bonnet both top side and engine side.
 
Thanks Doug, I am indeed looking at a Spitfire.

Those are good paces to look, but I was wondering about anything that might be characteristic to the Spitfire, like the MGB's "crack of doom."
 
Even the crack of doom can be fixed if you don't mind welding. I cannot think of a similar bodywork problem with Spitfires.

Though this is probably more a problem on the later 1500 engine, I would check the crankshaft endfloat. If you find you can pry the front pulley backwards and forwards more than a few thousandths of an inch, you can expect problems with the crank thrust washers. This may be a simple replacement if the situation has not gone on too long and if the thrusts are still in place. If the thrusts have fallen into the pan you will find the crank has a lot of endfloat and this may turn into an expensive repair if you chose to fix the block and crank.

I would also test drive the car and listen carefully for any noises coming from the rear suspension and differential.

If an oil pressure gauge has been fitted, check the pressure when the engine is at a hot idle.
 
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